By Fred Jeter
Contributing Writer

One of Bob Baltimore’s first students in Powhatan was a young Jim Woodson.
Nowadays, people around the county call Woodson “coach.”

But before he was the revered coach and athletic director, he was a driven athlete who sparkled in football and baseball … and just about anything else.

“Jim was in my first class, as a seventh grader,” recalled Baltimore. “What I remember most about Jim was that he was so competitive.

“It didn’t matter what it was – football, marbles, checkers; he couldn’t stand losing at anything.”

Baltimore was head football coach, ’67 to ’82. Woodson, Class of ’73, led the Indians to 8-2 records as both a junior and senior, playing quarterback.

Woodson went on to play football at Ferrum Junior College, under legendary coach Hank Norton.

Coincidentally, Norton started his coaching career in Powhatan and affectionately dubbed Woodson “Powhatan.”

Woodson later transferred to James Madison where he played under Challace McMillan, when JMU was Division III.

It was Baltimore who offered Woodson a job as JV football coach and P.E. teacher in 1979.

In 1985, Woodson succeeded Mike Arnette as the Indians’ varsity coach.

Much has changed in the county and school system between Baltimore’s early Indians and Woodson’s varsity of today.

“When I started here was one Sheriff and one Sheriff’s Deputy, if that tells you anything,” recalled Baltimore.

Powhatan became fully integrated, racially, in 1969, aligning with historically black Pocahontas High. It was in 1974 that it won its first District title.

Among the ’74 stars was burly Ernie Henderson, now renowned as the Indians’ veteran defensive boss.

Baltimore, who remains an assistant baseball coach, has worked at three different PHS buildings.

The original was in “The Village,” on Old Buckingham.

The PHS that is now Powhatan Junior High opened in 1972, slightly westward on Old Buckingham.

The current facility, a palace by comparison, on Jude’s Ferry opened in 2003.

“In the beginning,” says Baltimore, “the facilities were horrible.”

The Indians had no on-campus gridiron and “shared” War Memorial with Huguenot Academy.

“Actually, they (HA) had first choice of dates,” Baltimore recalled.

“There were no locker rooms … we dressed in a cannery.”

There was also no basketball gym prior to ’72.

“We practiced at Beaumont and St. Emma’s and played all our games on the road,” said Baltimore.

Demographics have changed dramatically, too.

In Baltimore’s early seasons, he estimates his team was “about 50-50 … maybe 60-40,” in terms of white and black, respectively.

Today it’s closer to 80-20 white.

Also, today’s makeup of the student body includes less and less “farm boys.”

Topics like “bailing’ hay” and “milking cows” rarely pop up these days in PHS hallways.

Woodson puts it like this:

“We’re becoming more like Midlothian.”

The swash-buckling Woodson was among Baltimore’s first sport heroes at the “new” high school, in ‘72.

“Jim was athletic, but he was never the biggest, fastest or strongest,” recalled Baltimore. “He was just determined to find a way to beat you.”

On that matter, nothing has changed between then and now.